New Delhi:
Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni joined an elite list of batsmen as he completed the coveted landmark of 100 international half-centuries across all three formats.
The majestic wicket-keeper batsman hit splendid 79 runs against Australia at the MA Chidambaram stadium in the first ODI. He along with Hardik Pandya thrashed Australian bowlers all over the park and set up India’s 26-run victory.
The 36-year-old Dhoni is now the 13th cricketer in the history of international cricket to complete a ton of 50's. Among Indians, he is fourth after Sachin Tendulkar (164), Rahul Dravid (146) and Sourav Ganguly (107).
It was Dhoni's 66th ODI half-century in his 302nd One-dayer, apart from 33 that he got in 90 Tests and the one in 78 T20 Internationals.
Dhoni now has 9737 runs in ODIs and requires 263 more runs to complete the 10,000-run milestone in the 50-over format.
